The only English-language book in print on this active-duty Russian supersonic bomber.  In the late 1960s, the patriarch of Soviet aircraft design, Andrey Tupolev, offered the Soviet air force a supersonic bomber to replace the 1950s-vintage Tu-22 Blinder with a less capable—but cheaper—alternative to the Sukhoi design bureau's proposed T-4 strategic bomber. Tupolev did not offer it as an 'all-new' aircraft but, instead, passed it off as a 'massive upgrade' of the Blinder. Thus was born the Tu-22M, Tupolev’s first aircraft with variable swept wings and the ability to carry both bombs and supersonic cruise missiles. In the West, the new bomber became known as the Backfire. * First flown in 1969, the aircraft entered production in 1972. * The most widespread version was the Tu-22M3, which soldiers on today with the Russian air force. * The Backfire has had an active career both in Cold War operations and in 'hot' wars, from Afghanistan to Syria, where it has participated in the global